Origin of this Yataghan? (With pictures!)

[gp]

The Dalmatian yatagan M 1869 is a unique model of the world's cold weapon, since these are no longer unique but semi-industrially or semi-manufactory made pieces which involve serial production of identical pieces in terms of their dimensions, appearance and weight, and serial number and unit designations. Also, the handle is made of man-made bakelite derivatives, so it is unique and avant-garde in this respect as well. All known pieces of yataghan M 1869 have an army inventory stamp consisting of the name of the battalion and the number of weapons in the unit, and some of these figures are high and it can be inferred that all the domobrans were armed with such weapons. The image of the Austro-Hungarian military painter Julius von Blaas depicting the attack of the 79th Battalion (led by a local resident) on Livno during the occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878 testifies to this. (Manuel Martinović)

source : svijet-filatelije 2019 on a stamp by Croatian Post Mostar

[Battara]

What great info! My absolute favorite Ottoman sword is the yataghan. I had 2, but one got stolen years ago, but I have the other one. Both were Balkan, and the stolen one was from Focha (I LOVE their work!).

I'll add this to my yataghan book from Sarajevo, and Elgood's work on weaponry from the Balkan region during the Ottoman era.

[gp]

Originally Posted by Battara

What great info!

most happy to oblige . Hence another piece of info from Croatia :

Inscriptions on the “Zagreb yataghan”

Tatjana Paić-Vukić ; The Archive of CASA, Zagreb 2013.

"Blades of the Ottoman long knives, yataghans, are frequently decorated with geometrical and floral motives, and different inscriptions.
In Zagreb, as the property of S. V., there is a richly decorated yataghan produced in AH 1224. / AD 1809-1810 in Bosnia.
It was made for some of the descendants of the Bosnian Vizier Mehmed Pasha Miralem, probably for his grandson Mehmed Miralem.
On both sides of the blade, there is a great number of cartouches and round ornaments made with the technique of inlaying with gold wire.
They contain calligraphic inscriptions in the Arabic, Ottoman Turkish and Persian languages, comprising prayers, proverbs, invocations and verses encouraging fighting against enemies, expressing confidence in God and asking the Prophet Muhammad to intercede for the owner of the yataghan in the next world. By comparison with the items described in catalogues and other literature, it appears that the “Zagreb yataghan” is exceptional both for containing extraordinarily great number of inscriptions and for having two lengthy inscriptions in Persian.
As for comparison, none of the yataghans from the Zemaljski muzej [National Museum] of Sarajevo contains inscriptions in Persian, while the collections of Hrvatski povijesni muzej [Croatian Historical Museum] and Istorijski muzej Srbije [Historical Museum of Serbia] have only one such item each. In this paper, all the inscriptions are presented in Arabic script and transliteration, and translated into Croatian.
They could help researchers dealing with Ottoman cold weapons to recognise and reconstruct identical sayings and verses found on other yataghans in cases when they are partially damaged and hardly legible, in the way in which I benefited from the work of Muhamed Ždralović on the yataghans of the Croatian Historical Museum.
Finally, the fact that another product of the artisan named el-Hacc Mehmed-zade, who decorated the “Zagreb yataghan”, is kept at the Military Museum in Istanbul could contribute to the systematisation of data on yataghans from individual workshops in the Ottoman Empire."

although I understand many here do not understand Serbo-Croatian or as it is called now Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, I can advise nevertheless to download the Croation version with regards to the inscription, its phonetical translation and some most interesting pictures.

https://hrcak.srce.hr/search/?stype=...%20Mehmed-zade

[gp]

Originally Posted by gp

The image of the Austro-Hungarian military painter Julius von Blaas depicting the attack of the 79th Battalionon Livno during the occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878

Combat of Dalmatian Imperial infantry at Livno August 8th 1878

Location: Vienna, Austria

Holding Museum:Austrian Military Museum / Institute of Military History

Date:1907 (Signed and dated "Julius v. Blaas 1907")

Type of object:Painting

Material(s) / Technique(s):Oil on canvas

Dimensions:120 x 200 cm

scene of the occupation campaign of 1878 where the Dalmatian Imperial Infantry is attacking in line formation at Livno.

[ariel]

This painting is quite interesting. On this Forum we had many discussions about potential uses of Yataghans. Often, there were opinions that Yataghans were not fighting military weapons, but rather just post battle head-cutters or such.
Here we see organized military unit attacking enemy positions with Yataghans; this seems to contradict the above notion.

Nepalese Gurkhas performed military feats with their Kukri, a somewhat yataghan-like short bladed chopper.

[gp]

Originally Posted by ariel

This painting is quite interesting. On this Forum we had many discussions about potential uses of Yataghans. Often, there were opinions that Yataghans were not fighting military weapons, but rather just post battle head-cutters or such.
Here we see organized military unit attacking enemy positions with Yataghans; this seems to contradict the above notion.
.

Comes perhaps with the territory ?

The 2 drawings of the Bosnian resistance against the Habsburg take over in 1878 I posted , also shows they went for the Austrians with rifle AND yataghan...as not each fighter had the means to buy a gun, so some only went with their yataghans and bichaqs into battle. All conform their tradition which differs from a western one.

Also bear in mind this unit, although an Habsburg K.u.K. unit, is made up out of locals (Dalmatians). And take also into consideration that Franz Josef II and his war ministers thought it to be a walk over....mistakenly.....as they learned soon.
Hence unprepared (read not armed as they ought to be for a war ) their units were not really up for a fight and the insurrection they were about to meet in 1878....So ammo could be scarce and locals fighting locals in a traditional way perhaps as well...

a scan of a border patrol and a duel

[gp]

additional reading & legal PDF download:

INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF ISLAMIC ARMS AND ARMOUR
by Dr. A. Rahman Zaky 1961.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...8jJi7nY6bj90Bt

[gp]

Originally Posted by ariel

This painting is quite interesting. On this Forum we had many discussions about potential uses of Yataghans. Often, there were opinions that Yataghans were not fighting military weapons, but rather just post battle head-cutters or such.
Here we see organized military unit attacking enemy positions with Yataghans; this seems to contradict the above notion.

Nepalese Gurkhas performed military feats with their Kukri, a somewhat yataghan-like short bladed chopper.

just came to my mind:

this Austrian / Habsburgian regiment was a border regiment from Dalmatia: actually recruted mostly from the poorer regions around Split, Dubrovnik and the Bay of Kotor ( the latter only belonging after WW I to Montenegro and prior that being almost one with... Herzegovina...which was though Ottoman till this battle and annexation in 1878) and hence the interaction not only religious, cultural, linguistic but also tradewise between these border regions.

Consequentually the "yatag(h)an "like sword might have well been made or purchased from the same weapon black smith and looks very close to a kilij (or as in Turkish; kılıç ) which both on the painting used by the "footsoldiers " lacking the crossguard or quillon and as well mine below, purchased in the Balkans...